Gender Parity Analysis of the Editorial Boards of Influential Dermatology Journals: Cross-Sectional Study.

This study underscores the persistent underrepresentation of women in academic dermatology leadership positions by examining the gender composition of editorial boards across top dermatology journals, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive strategies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Daily Torpor in Birds and Mammals: Past, Present, and Future of the Field.

Torpor is an incredibly efficient energy-saving strategy that many endothermic birds and mammals use to save energy, by lowering their metabolic rates, heart rates, and typically body temperatures. Over the last few decades, the study of daily torpor-in which torpor is used for less than 24 hours per bout-has advanced rapidly. The papers in this issue cover the ecological and evolutionary drivers of torpor, as well as some of the mechanisms governing torpor use. We identified broad focus areas that need special attention: clearly defining the various parameters that indicate torpor use and identifying the genetic and neurological mechanisms regulating torpor. Recent studies on daily torpor and heterothermy, including the ones in this issue, have furthered the field immensely. We look forward to a period of immense growth in this field.

Skin of Color Representation on Wikipedia: Cross-sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites and may be a go-to source of health and dermatology education for the general population. Prior research indicates poor skin of color (SOC) photo representation in printed dermatology textbooks and online medical websites, but there has been no such assessment performed to determine whether this discrepancy also exists for Wikipedia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the number and quality of SOC photos included in Wikipedia's skin disease pages and to explore the possible ramifications of these findings. METHODS: Photos of skin diseases from Wikipedia's "List of Skin Conditions" were assigned by three independent raters as SOC or non-SOC according to the Fitzpatrick system, and were given a quality rating (1-3) based on sharpness, size/resolution, and lighting/exposure. RESULTS: We identified 421 skin disease Wikipedia pages and 949 images that met our inclusion criteria. Within these pages, 20.7% of images of skin diseases (196 of 949 images) were SOC and 79.3% (753 of 949 images) were non-SOC (P<.001). There was no difference in the average quality for SOC (2.05) and non-SOC (2.03) images (P=.81). However, the photo quality criteria utilized (sharpness, size/resolution, and lighting/exposure) did not capture all aspects of photo quality. Another limitation of this analysis is that the Fitzpatrick skin typing system is prone to subjectivity and was not originally intended to be utilized as a non-self SOC metric. CONCLUSIONS: There is SOC underrepresentation in the gross number of SOC images for dermatologic conditions on Wikipedia. Wikipedia pages should be updated to include more SOC photos to mend this divide to ameliorate access to accurate dermatology information for the general public and improve health equity within dermatology.

The Use of Botanical Extracts in East Asia for Treatment of Hyperpigmentation: An Evidenced-Based Review.

Recent years have seen a growth in the Asian cosmeceutical industry and an expanding worldwide marketplace with increasing consumer use of plant-based skin care products. The rising prevalence of Asian cosmeceuticals has led to research studies assessing the safety and efficacy of these products. We seek to review current evidence on safety and efficacy of key ingredients used in Asian cosmeceuticals to treat disorders of hyperpigmentation. A comprehensive search on PubMed was conducted to identify hyperpigmentation-related research studies on eight popular ingredients used in Asian cosmeceuticals: green tea, soy, orchid, licorice, rice water, ginseng, bamboo, and aloe. Both in vitro studies and clinical trials involving human subjects were included. Of the ingredients reviewed, soy and licorice had the most clinical evidence supporting their efficacy, while all other ingredients were supported by in vitro studies. More research is needed to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of Asian cosmeceutical ingredients in treatment of hyperpigmentation. J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(7): doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.4776.

The Burden of Skin and Subcutaneous Diseases in the United States From 1990 to 2017.

Importance: Skin and subcutaneous diseases affect the health of millions of individuals in the US. Data are needed that highlight the geographic trends and variations of skin disease burden across the country to guide health care decision-making. Objective: To characterize trends and variations in the burden of skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases across the US from 1990 to 2017. Design, Setting, and Participants: For this cohort study, data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), a study with an online database that incorporates current and previous epidemiological studies of disease burden, and from GBD 2017, which includes more than 90 000 data sources such as systematic reviews, surveys, population-based disease registries, hospital inpatient and outpatient data, cohort studies, and autopsy data. The GBD separated skin conditions into 15 subcategories according to incidence, prevalence, adequacy of data, and standardized disease definitions. GBD 2017 also estimated the burden from melanoma of the skin and keratinocyte carcinoma. Data analysis for the present study was conducted from September 9, 2019, to March 31, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary study outcomes included age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), incidence, and prevalence. The data were stratified by US states with the highest and lowest age-standardized DALY rate per 100 000 people, incidence, and prevalence of each skin condition. The percentage change in DALY rates in each state was calculated from 1990 to 2017. Results: Overall, age-standardized DALY rates for skin and subcutaneous diseases increased from 1990 (821.6; 95% uncertainty interval [UI], 570.3-1124.9) to 2017 (884.2; 95% UI, 614.0-1207.9) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The degree of increase varied according to geographic location, with the largest percentage change of 0.12% (95% UI, 0.09%-0.15%) in New York and the smallest percentage change of 0.04% (95% UI, 0.02%-0.07%) in Colorado, 0.04% (95% UI, 0.01%-0.06%) in Nevada, 0.04% (95% UI, 0.02%-0.07%) in New Mexico, and 0.04% (95% UI, 0.02%-0.07%) in Utah. The age-standardized DALY rate, incidence, and prevalence of specific skin conditions differed among the states. New York had the highest age-standardized DALY rate for skin and subcutaneous disease in 2017 (1097.0 [95% UI, 764.9-1496.1]), whereas Wyoming had the lowest age-standardized DALY rate (672.9 [95% UI, 465.6-922.3]). In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, women had higher age-standardized DALY rates for overall skin and subcutaneous diseases than men (women: 971.20 [95% UI, 676.76-1334.59] vs men: 799.23 [95% UI, 559.62-1091.50]). However, men had higher DALY rates than women for malignant melanoma (men: 80.82 [95% UI, 51.68-123.18] vs women: 42.74 [95% UI, 34.05-70.66]) and keratinocyte carcinomas (men: 37.56 [95% UI, 29.35-49.52] vs women: 14.42 [95% UI, 10.01-20.66]). Conclusions and Relevance: Data from the GBD suggest that the burden of skin and subcutaneous disease was large and that DALY rate trends varied across the US; the age-standardized DALY rate for keratinocyte carcinoma appeared greater in men. These findings can be used by states to target interventions and meet the needs of their population.